Deadly Infatuation

Chapter 45

Lily

The sky is a mixture of swirling grays when I pull up outside my mom's house. The imminent storm predicted on the news heading closer to us. Switching off the engine to Max's car, I step out onto the drive, feeling the cool air hit my skin, a drastic drop in temperature from earlier. I don't even have time to take a step forward when Milo and Bailey eagerly bound over and jump up at my sides, licking my bare arms. I grin as I work to get them under control and stroke the soft fur of their heads, which has a calming effect on them and as soon as they get over their initial excitement from seeing me, they settle down and give me room to move. "Good boys," I praise, scratching first behind Milo's ears and then Bailey's, which causes them both to hum in approval.

Pressing the key to lock the car, I walk toward the house, watching Blake and Johnson in the distance talking to mom's bodyguard, most likely seeing if there are any updates they need to know about. I whistle for Milo and Bailey to follow me and while Milo listens, Bailey plods off to the edge of the woods to sniff the few fallen leaves on the ground. Seeing that he's happy where he is, I decide to leave him to it and go inside the house. "It's just me," I shout as I shut the door behind me.

"Okay, honey," my mom calls back from the kitchen. "Watch your step. I haven't tidied up after myself yet."

I throw my keys into the bowl by the door and then step into the living room and see just how busy my mom has been. There's not a surface in the room clear from either boxes, old papers or Christmas decorations. I give a sad smile, as I know she's doing this to save herself from becoming bored. Milo follows behind me as I move further into the living room and he gives a high-pitched yawn before heading toward his bed in the room's corner, probably ready for his afternoon nap. I pause on the way to the kitchen to look at a more recent picture of my dad, which I spy on top of a box, and give a small sigh as I take in his dimpled smile and green eyes again. "Miss you, Dad," I whisper.

Swallowing the lump that has formed in my throat, I work my way around the other boxes and quickly go greet my mom in the kitchen and then head to my childhood bedroom and pack all of my things up. Because I didn't bring much with me in the first place, I finish in under thirty minutes and have all of my bags packed in the car's trunk, ready to be transported to Max's place. "Johnson, I'll be ready to leave in five."

"Yes, ma'am."

He leaves me to go inform Blake and I move around to the front of the car where my mom is standing. She pulls her cardigan around her as a fresh gust of wind blows in our direction and I feel the goosebumps form on my arms from the coolness of the wind.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" I ask as I put my keys in my back pocket and use my hands to rub against my skin to warm myself up a bit.

"Yes, darling. You and Max need to be with each other right now."

I lean my back against the Aston Martin and nod my head. "I'll call you when I get there and keep you updated on any news we hear from the police. We should find out the results from the blood sample any hour now."

"I doubt they'll tell you anything we don't already know."

I lift a shoulder. "I know, but it would be nice to be sure."

A boom of thunder echoes in the distance and as I look at the sky, I can see that the darkening clouds are heading closer towards us. "You best leave. I don't think it will be much longer until this storm hits us."

"Yeah, okay. Do you want me to help get Bailey inside first?" I ask, remembering that he's still outside. Speaking of which, where is he? I can't see him in the yard where I left him. Maybe he's in the backyard?